It’s hard to have a better collegiate career than Joey Pena.
The Brooklyn native just wrapped up an outstanding 4-year career with the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans, hitting .366 with 37 RBI and 50 runs scored this season. Joey was far from a singles-hitting shortstop. He had 26 extra base hits and stole 37 bases, while playing all 54 contests. Perhaps most impressive, he drew 45 walks and struck out only 14 times; which padded his OBP to a ridiculous .498 over 194 at bats. Earlier this year he broke the program record for hits in a career. They came up just shy of returning to Cary, N.C. for the Div-II College World Series after they were shutout 6-0 by Blue Point native Shane McDonald.
Pena participated in our Axcess Invitational on Tuesday and he was one of the stars of the show. He was named Most Valuable Player, smacking three hits and making an exceptional sliding play with his back to home plate.
He spoke to Vinny Messana and here’s what he had to say…
Who are some athletes you tried to emulate when you were younger or maybe even now
When I was younger I tried to emulate Jose Reyes, he was my favorite player growing up. As I got older I really started liking the way Francisco Lindor plays the game and he has become one person I started watching a lot. One thing I really like about these players besides the talent they have; is the amount of fun they have while playing the game of baseball, they always have a smile on their face enjoying the game whether they are 0-4 or 4-4.
Was baseball always your No. 1 sport?
Yes, ever since I was a kid baseball has always been my number one sport, I have tried other sports but baseball was always my number 1.
Do you come from an athletic family?
Yes, my father and brother used to play when they were younger and both influenced me to play the game of baseball.
What was the biggest thrill of your college career?
The biggest thrill of my college career was going to the college world series. It is probably one of the best experiences I have had in my life. The atmosphere was great and the group of guys I was surrounded with made that experience so much better.
You own the program record for most hits in a career. What do you attribute your ability to fight off tough pitches to ?
I think what helps me is having good plate vision and being able to have an idea of where the ball is going to end up as it is coming in. Knowing the count and not leaving it up to the umpire to make a call on you is what helps me too. If it is a close pitch with two strikes, I am doing my best to at least foul it off especially if it is a pitchers pitch. A lot of times hitting can being something so complicated and when I feel that way I just try to take it back to my little league days by telling myself see the ball hit the ball.
What did you do in the off-season to improve ?
The offseason is a time where I feel like I can get a lot of work in. Getting a lot of reps in on defense and feeling out your body when it comes to your swing when everything feels perfect compared to when something is off. Being able to use videos to watch little things you can fix helps me a lot as a player as well. Two people I love working out with are Giovanni Dingcong and my brother Kenny Pena. I learn a lot from these two growing up and through my college career. With Gio we go over knew drills and give each other input all the time to make each other better. In the offseason there is not a day where either my brother or Gio is not workng with me, one of them is always around.
You won the MVP of the Axcess Invitational–can you describe your experience playing in that game?
Playing in the Axcess Invitational was a great experience. I enjoyed every second of it, being able to play with some of my teammates one more time was fun. The team was full of a great group of guys. The talent level on both teams were impressive. Overall my experience was great and wish there were more opportunities like this.
After your playing career is over what do you envision yourself doing ?
After my playing career is over, I envision myself having my own facility to give athletes the opportunity to work on their skills and better themselves. I would love to pass on the things I learned throughout my playing career to the younger athletes making their way up.
